Cells have a checkpoint mechanism of such that, when the DNA therein is damaged, then the cells temporarily stop the cell cycle and repair the damaged DNA (Cell Proliferation, Vol. 33, pp. 261-274). In about a half of human cancers, a cancer-suppressor gene, p53 is mutated or depleted and the cells thereby have lost the G1 checkpoint function thereof. However, such cancer cells still keep the G2 checkpoint function remaining therein, which is considered to be one factor of lowering the sensitivity of the cells to DNA-active anticancer agents and to radiations.
A Wee1 kinase is a tyrosine kinase that participates in the G2 checkpoint of a cell cycle. Wee1 phosphorylates Cdc2(Cdk1) tyrosine 15 that participates in the progress to the M stage from the G2 stage in a cell cycle, thereby inactivating Cdc2 and temporarily stopping the cell cycle at the G2 stage (The EMBO Journal, Vol. 12, pp. 75-85). Accordingly, in cancer cells having lost the p53 function therein, it is considered that the G2 checkpoint function by Wee1 is important for repairing the damaged DNA so as to evade the cell death. Heretofore, it has been reported that the Wee1 expression reduction by RNA interference or the Wee1 inhibition by compounds may increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to adriamycin, X ray and gamma ray (Cancer Biology & Therapy, Vol. 3, pp. 305-313; Cancer Research, Vol. 61, pp. 8211-8217). From the above, it is considered that a Wee1 inhibitor may inhibit the G2 checkpoint function of p53-depleted cancer cells, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of the cells to DNA-active anticancer agents and to radiations.
As a low-molecular Wee1 kinase inhibitor, for example, known are compounds described in US Application 2005/0250836 (Patent Reference 1), WO2003/091255 (Patent Reference 2), Cancer Research, Vol. 61, pp. 8211-8217 (Non-Patent Reference 1), or Bioorg & Med. Chem. Lett., Vol. 15, pp. 1931-1935 (Non-Patent Reference 2). However, the compounds described in these references quite differ from the compounds of the invention in point of their structures.
On the other hand, WO99/61444 (Patent Reference 3) or WO2004/041823 (Patent Reference 4) discloses various compounds relatively similar to the compounds of the invention in point of their skeletons. However, these references do neither disclose nor suggest the compounds of the invention.